Natsu was having a nice dream. He was at the guild, sitting at a table, with a veritable feast in front of him. Meat, desserts, drinks, all laid out as far as his eye could see. There wasn't even anyone else at the table that he had to share with. Grinning, he grabbed a steak and sunk his teeth into it greedily.

But the moment the meat touched his tongue, he felt a burning sensation spread throughout his body. He removed the steak and stared at it, then shrugged and picked up a beef sandwich. This, too, was unbearably hot. Frowning, he reached for a bowl of ice cream. But he was denied the refreshing coolness of the dessert, instead feeling heat permeate his bones.

With a start, he awoke. It took him a moment to realize that the heat he had felt in his dream was real. He squinted around the bed, trying to puzzle out the sensations he was bombarded with. Directly in front of his face there was a shock of salmon-colored hair. He pulled back a little, trying to make out his surroundings in the dark of the night. Eventually, he managed to discern that the salmon hair belonged to his youngest daughter, Luna, who was curled up on the pillows near his head. He also found the blonde head of his wife, tucked into his shoulder, and the black hair of his oldest daughter, Nashi, pressed into his other side. Even Happy's blue fur was smothering him, resting squarely on his chest.

Once he had located everyone, Natsu let out a resigned sigh. This was fairly common for his family in winter. No matter how much he insisted that their bed was only for Mom and Dad, inevitably the others always crawled in too on particularly chilly nights. Truth be told, he was getting more and more used to being treated as a space heater.

There were very few blankets in the Dragneel household, because any time someone was cold, they simply came for a snuggle with Natsu. By the time their daughters were walking, it had become somewhat of a game. Anyone who was cold would go on a treasure hunt, looking for Dad. The first to find him would yell out their victory, and soon Natsu would find himself at the bottom of a pile of limbs and giggles as his girls smothered him, with Happy laughing on the top of the heap. Eventually Natsu started hiding when he heard someone looking for his warmth, upping the game to a new level. He made sure never to hide too well, though. Although he would never admit it, he loved being used as a heater.

As he attempted to shift his leg in bed, he smiled to himself. When the others awoke, he would pretend to complain about not having space. But for now, caged in though he was, he wouldn't have it any other way.